Question:
I have some wonders about Symptoms of type II abuse.I've been type I for 32 years but I'm writing about my mother-in-law who'stype II. Over the past few months she's been showing increasing signs ofaging (i.e. dementia). She's very confused, doesn't know who her daughteris, is increasingly irrational and, basically, is losing the plot. In otherwords, all the signs of senile dementia. We live 200 miles away and can'tget there very often. She's not been taking her medication. She's not oninsulin but I don't know the precise medication. The point is that her GPhas been to see - at our request - and has said that her dementia symptomsare the result of her not taking her medication. I know of no medicationfor type II that if you don't take them would cause the symptoms ofdementia. As far as I can see it would cause her blood sugar levels to riseand I know that doesn't cause the symptoms that she shows... Or have I gotit wrong? We're about to write to the GP but wouldn't mind asecond/third/fourth/etc opinion.

Answer: Is she living with anyone else or is she on her own? If the latter, IMOshe should not be. When she no longer recognises a daughter, livingalone is no longer safe. If she has a carer, that person should beensuring that she looks after herself properly, including propermedication and adequate diet.

Are there local council home care support systems over there for thingslike meals, showers, shopping trips and so on?

Whether or not the dementia is caused by the diabetes is irrelevant.That doesn't mean it shouldn't be treated properlly; but forgetting toturn the gas off, or where she lives, is more likely to kill her thanhigh BGs at the moment.

My wife and I share care for her 93 yo father with his other daughter athousand miles south of here. He winters in the north, summers in thesouth. We picked him up from the airport yesterday. He is able to walk,talk and do the basics. But he has no more chance of properly lookingafter himself than a two-year-old child.